The body of a missing alleged gang boss who was believed to have been kidnapped by a Colombian drug cartel has apparently been discovered in a dam in Free State.
According to a source, the family of Peter Jaggers has travelled to Gauteng to identify a body fitting his description.
It is understood his wife and other relatives boarded a flight to Johannesburg on Tuesday afternoon.
The body was found in a dam along with another male.
The two men were apparently being held down in the water with chains and sand bags tied to their bodies, which were in a bad state of decomposition, says the source.
The Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation, aka the Hawks, which is investigating Jaggers’ disappearance, has remained tight-lipped about the latest developments and did not respond to queries to confirm or deny the discovery of the bodies.
Asked about the issue, provincial police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm Pojie says: “We are not at liberty to comment on the alleged kidnapping and murder of the person cited in your enquiry as the matter is being probed by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations based in Gauteng.”
Jaggers’ friend, Mr Zulu KKAFAM Agency, took to TikTok to express his condolences over his “death”.
“My brother, my friend, until we meet again fly high,” he wrote, as more than 100 people commented, some expressing their sympathy and shock.
Photographs of Jaggers also circulated on social media from friends and family, expressing their condolences.
Jaggers, from Kreefgat, had been attending a meeting with a business partner in Gauteng in July when he was allegedly kidnapped by a Colombian cartel from South America.
Jaggers wife had reported him missing on 5 July at the Bishop Lavis Police Station after he had disappeared at or near the Emperors Hotel in Gauteng on 3 July.
It was alleged that Jaggers stole R1 billion worth of cocaine from them, and rumours spread that he had been kidnapped and a R50 million ransom was demanded.
It was later rumoured that he had been killed by the same cartel.
A voice note, which spread on social media, was allegedly sent to Jaggers’ family, in which a man with a South American accent demand a ransom.
It was also alleged that a man by the name of William Peterson was abducted alongside Jaggers, but the Hawks did not confirm this.
Jaggers is allegedly linked to the missing vessel known as “The Berta Fishing Experience” which made headlines in March, after it capsized and six fishermen went missing.
The men apparently went fishing and ran out of fuel.
Amongst the group was a relative of Jaggers, whose name is being withheld for safety reasons.
JP Smith, Mayco Member for Safety and Security, has raised concerns about the trafficking of drugs at South African ports, claiming the missing fishing vessel had been used as a front to transport drugs.
He said cartels often used passing container ships to drop off drugs and left it floating in barrels, with the GPS pin sent to local gangs to pick it up.
He believed Jaggers allegedly picked up the cocaine and tried to keep it for himself.